Material Particulado en Suspensión en el Río de la Plata: importancia del río Bermejo en su variabilidad espacio-temporal

Abstract

<p>Spatio-temporal variability of Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) in the Río de la Plata (RdlP) is analyzed from 2002-2014 of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data and explained in terms of its main tributaries flows. The monthly mean showed maximum during late summer to mid-autumn, and minimum in mid-winter to early summer. The Bermejo river (BeR), is the tributary that more sediment in suspension brings. This situation was reflected in the significant relationship between the mean monthly concentrations of SPM with the average monthly flow of BeR. Seasonal variation in SPM concentration, showed maximum values in fall, followed by summer, and minimum values in winter and spring, reflecting the monthly pattern of discharge of the BeR with one and two months of delay. The pattern of spatial variation differentiated threes regions: the inner, central and outer. The annual variability evidenced a marked seasonality in the spatial coverage pattern of the waters with the highest SPM. The pattern of the anomalies, appeared to be related to the influence of river discharge, what it showed the temporal pattern of SPM anomalies did not related to the ENSO (El Niño – Sourthen Oscillation) cycle. These results allowed us to denote the importance of BeR (not ENSO dependent) to explain the pattern of observed SPM anomaly in the RdlP region.</p>